


Compromise

by pterawaters



Series: Tumblr Prompts [5]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, M/M, Passive Agressive Dating, Relationship Negotiation, Relationship Problems, Triad Verse, Triadverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-02
Updated: 2014-03-02
Packaged: 2018-01-14 06:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1256977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pterawaters/pseuds/pterawaters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scott's afraid that if something doesn't change, his relationship with Derek is going to fall apart. Every time Scott brings home another possible third to meet Derek, Derek never even gives them a chance. When Scott puts Derek in charge of meeting their third this time, will Derek play along, or will everything come crashing down around them?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Compromise

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for an anonymous prompt on tumblr: "Scott and Derek are looking for a third, but Derek is completely uncomfortable meeting new people. With Allison and Kira, Scott had to date them first and sound them out and everything. Finally, Scott has had enough, and asks Derek to go out and pick someone for them to boost his confidence. Who does he find?"
> 
> Thanks for the prompt, anon! I hope you like what I came up with.
> 
> This story takes place in triad verse, where the majority of people are bisexual and "complete" relationships consist of three people. You can read more about triad verse [here](http://triadverse.tumblr.com/post/55892872252/meta-the-triad-verse-primer).

"Hey, Derek," Scott said as he sat down next to Derek on their couch.

The book in Derek's hand was heavy and the words on the page dense, so Scott wasn't surprised when Derek merely grunted in response. Getting caught up in reading was just about the only thing that would make Derek lose focus on the world around him. Scott thought it was adorable.

Of course Scott also thought Kira had been adorable. And then he and Derek went on one date together with her – one date – and Derek wouldn't agree to another. When Kira told Scott that someone else asked her out, Scott wished her goodbye and good luck.

"Derek," Scott said again, taking the book from Derek's hands. Scott made a show of marking Derek's place with a random envelope from the coffee table before closing the book and setting it aside. "Der, we need to have a talk."

Derek's frown deepened and he turned away from Scott with a scoff. "You still hung up on that school girl?"

"Yeah," Scott replied truthfully. "But she's not an option any more, and to be honest, I'm always, like, super hung up on you."

Derek's frown softened, but he still said, "So, what is there to talk about?"

" _Derek_." Scott sighed. "We can't be a couple forever. I don't _want_ to be a couple forever."

Scott watched Derek as he fidgeted. After a moment, Derek asked in a soft voice, "Why not?"

"We're incomplete." Scott thinks this has to be the tenth time he's mentioned this to Derek. "Derek, we _need_ someone to balance us out."

Derek tilted his head, a gesture Scott had learned to interpret as grudging agreement. 

"So? What was wrong with Kira?"

Derek mumbled something, but Scott couldn't understand him.

"What?"

" _Nothing_!" Derek cries, standing up and taking a few steps away. Scott fears that Derek's about to escape the apartment entirely, to avoid having this conversation, but Derek stops at a few paces. His back to Scott, Derek says, "There was nothing wrong with her. It's me."

Scott stood and approached Derek, slipping a hand onto Derek's shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"There's some– I mean, people _don't like_ me," Derek said, stepping out of Scott's arm.

"I like you." Scott keeps his voice low, and careful. A pain lances, sharp, through his chest at the pain Derek must be feeling. "Derek, I _love_ you."

Derek shrugs.

"And if, after the way we met," Scott chuckled, "I can fall in love with you, there has to be someone else out there who can do it, too."

When Derek turns, he has one eyebrow raised, but there's a slight curl to his lips. Scott takes the expression as encouragement.

"All you need is a little more confidence. You," Scott said, stepping up to Derek and putting his arms around him. Scott slipped his hands into Derek's back pockets, "are sexy, and lovable, and a good man. You just need a little more practice _talking_ to people without snapping at them."

Derek finally smiled, wrapping his arms around Scott. "I barely talk without snapping at _you_."

Scott let himself enjoy Derek's embrace for a moment, rubbing his cheek against Derek's neck, and breathing in his scent. Then, Scott remembered where he was going with this discussion. "Baby, will you do something for me?"

Derek pulled back and gave Scott another of his raised-eyebrow looks. "What?"

" _You_ pick out the next person we date. _You_ go out and meet someone. You convince them to date us. And you do it this week."

"Scott…"

"No, I'm serious, Derek." Scott pulled away, holding Derek at arm's length to make sure he knew Scott wasn't joking. "I can't do all the work in this relationship. If you can't at least _try_ , and I mean really _try_ to meet someone you like, and you think I'd like, then I can't stay with you."

Scott hated playing this card. Derek didn't have many people besides Scott. His family was all either dead, or estranged from him, and Derek had maybe two actual friends of his own. Derek worked at home. If Scott would ever leave Derek, he'd probably become a hermit and stop talking to everyone.

Then again, Scott knew that as much as he loved Derek, he owed it to himself not to stay in a sinking relationship forever. He saw his parents hold onto their marriage for far too long, and he saw how bad it got. Scott would never do that to himself, and he especially wouldn't do that to Derek. 

Derek broke Scott's grip on his arms and this time he did leave the apartment. Scott sighed and dropped back down onto the couch in defeat. This was a disaster.

~*~

Derek stomped away from the apartment, his fists balled tightly. He knew from an outsider's point of view it might look like he was angry with someone, and that outsider would probably guess he was angry with Scott. In reality, Derek felt furious with himself.

Of course Scott wanted to break up with him. Of course Derek was going to be alone again. He finally thought he found a good partner, someone he could trust after the complete shitstorm that had been his relationship with Kate and Jennifer. Now Derek had to go and find someone _else_ he could trust? Where was he going to find that?

Where was he going to find someone Scott would want too? Scott kept bringing home these sweet _girls_. Kate had seemed sweet. Jennifer had seemed sweeter. Scott never brought home someone who seemed honest. Derek didn't want to play games. He didn't want to date someone for months and find out they were a backstabbing jerk. 

Derek looked up from his angry march down the sidewalk with absolutely no time to avoid crashing into a figure bent over a bag. Derek knocked the person over and just barely managed to catch himself with one palm against the pavement.

As Derek righted himself, the person, a handsome young man now that Derek looked at him, glared up at Derek. "What the hell, asshole?"

The guy had a perfect bow-shaped mouth and eyes that were brown, but not as dark as Scott's. His hair looked haphazard at best, like the guy liked running his hands through it. Derek then noticed his hands. A quick glance at the bag showed it was full of clothes and topped with a pillow. 

Derek realized that Scott never actually _said_ Derek had to go meet someone female. Sure, it was sort of implied that since neither Derek or Scott were mono that they'd end up with a girl as their third. Maybe the assumption has been wrong. This could work.

Derek put on his best smile and offered the guy his hand. "I'm so sorry. If I'd known I was about to knock over someone as gorgeous as you, I would've stopped myself. I'm Derek."

The guy narrowed his eyes at Derek, but took his hand nonetheless. Derek pulled him to his feet. "Stiles."

Pointing at Stiles' bag, Derek asked, "Can I help you with anything? To make up for being such a jerk?" Derek might feel bad about acting like he had a completely different personality, but this was just a means to an end. Prove to Scott that he wasn't completely hopeless and then Derek could let the act drop. Stiles would break up with them, and then he and Scott could to back to normal for awhile.

"Oh, this?" Stiles grabbed a pair of socks that had fallen out of the bag and stuffed them back in. "Nah, man. I got it. Just had to move out of my place, but I got it."

"Bad landlord?" Derek asked, watching Stiles haft the bag up onto one shoulder. 

"Bad breakup." At this revelation, Derek had to fight to keep his expression from showing, which was strange, because generally Derek's poker face was legendary. "Yeah, they were hot, but man were they assholes. Jackson never would've stopped to help someone on the street. Lydia would've pretended I didn't exist. And now I'm comparing you to my exes, which is completely inappropriate. Sorry."

"I don't mind," Derek said, keeping his flirty grin. "How 'bout I buy you a drink? As an apology?"

Stiles shrugged. "As apologies go, I've had worse. Yeah, okay. Let's do it."

While Stiles ordered a beer at the bar just around the block from his and Scott's apartment, Derek texted Scott: _Gulliver's. Right now. I've got a surprise._

Stiles pretty much just complained at Derek for the ten minutes it took Scott to walk in the door. "And another thing! Jackson always used to leave his dirty gym socks– Oh, Scott! Hey, Scott!"

Confused, Derek stood up, looking between Scott and Stiles. "You two know each other?"

"Stiles?" Scott asked, all but ignoring Derek as he approached. "Oh, my god, Stiles! It's been _years_ since I saw you!" Scott hugged Stiles (one of his soul-settling, almost-intimate hugs) before turning to Derek. "Stiles and I grew up together! He and his dads moved away before high school." Scott turned back. "What's going on, man? What are you doing in Beacon Hills?"

"I'm homeless!" Stiles cried, throwing up both his arms like he was celebrating. "You're the only person I know who my exes haven't turned against me. I was digging through my bag, looking for my phone so I could call you, when this guy practically ran me over. He invited me out for a drink, and voila!"

Derek knew it was coming, but he still resented it when Scott looked at him like he'd grown another head. " _Derek_ asked _you_ out?"

"Yeah," Stiles grinned, stepping close enough to put an easy hand on Scott's shoulder and on Derek's. "What a small world, hey? So, how do you guys know each other?"

"We live together," Derek said, frowning at Stiles' hand. This was just supposed to be about proving a point to Scott, not about meeting one of Scott's childhood friends.

"Roomies, hey? That's cool."

Derek half expected Scott to let Stiles' assumption lie, but Scott does what he probably thinks is right and corrects Stiles. "Derek is my boyfriend. We live together, live together."

"But he." Stiles pointed to his own chest. "And you." He pointed at Scott. "I _know_ you– Wait. I'm confused."

"We're looking for our third," Derek explained, glaring at Stiles. Did he have to flail around so much while he spoke?

"Oh." Stiles looked back and forth between Derek and Scott, his expression slowly morphing from confusion into something with a little more intent. " _Oh_. Alright. I'm game if you are! I've got four years of a terrible relationship to get out from under my skin."

"What?" Derek and Scott asked in unison.

Stiles laughed. "Oh, man. I don't know how I didn't see it before. You two are totally in synch." Stiles' eyes lost focus over Derek's right shoulder. "Do you guys want to know what I'm picturing right now?"

Derek turned to Scott and said, "I'm sorry. I've made a horrible mistake."

Somehow Stiles still ended up in bed with them.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out [my blog](http://pterawaters.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
